Note From Rob

In everything I have done, I have kept the student in the center of those decisions. Over my 35 years in education, that belief has not changed. However, lots of things have changed. For one thing, the technology has changed. In fact, when I started teaching, I don’t think that word “technology” was even used!

After working as an online school principal and finishing my doctorate in 2010, I kept wondering what type of support system can best serve students. With my colleague, Carole Smoot, we started talking about this idea several years ago and in the last year, the idea turned into this non-profit company, ForwarDirections. I know that high school can be challenging for many students and that applying for college is stressful and that the first year of college is a new adventure for most students. After taking additional classes and researching about the college admissions process and going through the college application process with my own daughter, I am looking forward to guiding other students in that journey. I know that we can leverage technology and a network of students to make the process of applying to college more effective. In the process, we can have some fun with online conversations and learn about some cool online tools along with talking about how to be successful in college.

I know that attending college is a complex process – I should know – I’ve done it over and over again about 5 times throughout my life. But, I can tell you that the most challenging year for me was my first year of college when I left home and moved into the dorms at U.C. Riverside not knowing one other person. I learned a lot about myself that year – and that learning has stayed with me for the rest of my life. I hope I can share some of these stories with you – and I look forward to hearing about the new college success stories as well. And, then, sharing those stories with others in our ForwarDirections network!